Spilled Beans - A Christmas Story
by meixel
Summary: While exciting prospects have placed Jeannie at a crossroads, the young woman must first find the answer to a question she's wondered about for years. What will she learn while home for the holidays?
1. Chapter 1

1980, San Francisco

Experiencing L'aioli Bistrot, the new French cafe near the Wharf, began the moment the patron entered through the simple aged Honduran mahogany door. The well-lit minimal décor with clean linens and cleaner lines matched well with the short, unpretentious menu featuring the freshest seafood, game and patés, seasoned with premium herbs, juices, oils and the highest quality butter. It was a thrill for the senses; sophisticated, yet unpretentious.

Despite dozens of opportunities presented as a function of a multitude of failed relationships, Professor Steve Keller never dined at the small bistro. The fact was the café had been opened for a few years, yet he had missed what many had recognized immediately. L'aioli Bistrot quickly became a modern alternative to the trendy, overpriced nouvelle cuisine restaurants opened fifteen years earlier that were featured in the city's tourist magazines. It was a diamond in the rough.

Steve took his place at a small table near the back. His longtime friend, Jeannie Stone, selected the restaurant for the two to meet during her short visit from Seattle. Steve answered her call days earlier at his Berkeley office. After missing Thanksgiving, she was coming down for a long weekend to see her father.

Big life changes awaited the young woman as she pursued her doctorate in sociology with the University of Washington and was less than six months away from presenting her dissertation. She also worked for a local consultant to the State of Washington, helping the government plan for labor and infrastructural requirements given what was expected to be a boom in the population as the computer age dawned.

The trifecta was Jeannie's relationship with Greg Hamilton. Greg, an attorney who lived and worked in downtown Seattle, met Jeannie through a mutual friend at the University. The two struck an immediate friendship with Greg quickly pursuing the petite young woman with a full court press. Tall, blonde and muscular, the lawyer spent many weekends in the Cascades skiing or snowboarding and had already invited Jeannie to go with him and his friends over the previous holiday weekend.

While disappointed he spent the holiday without his beloved daughter, Mike nonetheless breathlessly told Steve all of Jeannie's news when the younger man arrived to watch the football game that Thanksgiving afternoon. The former detective could not have been prouder of the young woman he met all those years ago. He remembered her as a pretty, but occasionally awkward, brunette who sometimes spoke her mind before thinking things through. She was fiercely loyal to her father and became a steadfast friend to Steve long before he left the police force.

It seemed the pair was often brought together by near tragedy on the job or concern for Mike, the link who would forever bond them. There were illnesses and injuries, more than any ten people had in a lifetime. But once those tribulations were over, Jeannie would return to school and continue life as a professional student. Sometimes the only memory Steve had of Jeannie was through a bus window.

But now, with a new decade beginning, she wasn't long for the academic world. She had been offered a job with the State of Washington after finishing her doctorate. The pieces in her life were falling into place. Steve wondered why she had called him, checking his watch to see how much longer he would have to find out.

The answer came moments later when Jeannie appeared by the maître d's podium, looking for her companion. Steve waved a hand and she informed the host that she had found her party. Steve marveled at the change in his friend. Gone was the young girl who would flirt unapologetically with her father's partner, sometimes to the older man's embarrassment. Now, walking towards him was a young woman, simply but impeccably dressed with short frosted blonde hair. She was surrounded by an air of confidence and maturity that took Steve by surprise.

"Wow, you look amazing!" Steve marveled at the fine material that enveloped her flattering figure.

"Thanks. You don't look so bad yourself," she responded as she gave her companion a quick peck on the cheek. Steve sidestepped and pulled the chair out for her; she smiled as she sat down.

After exchanging pleasantries and ordering drinks, the pair relaxed into the same banter they tossed about when Jeannie made her numerous visits from college. The one thing that continued to puzzle Steve was with Jeannie's limited time in the city, why did she want to see him alone? After all, Mike had recently disclosed his intentions of leaving his job with the Bureau of Inspectors after more than thirty years. He would have thought that Jeannie's time would be best spent with her father. Then it struck him.

"I couldn't figure out why you wanted to see me," Steve began. "But with your dad retiring next year, don't worry. I'll be here for anything he needs."

Jeannie nodded her head, thinking that she could walk away from their lunch with Steve none the wiser. It was reasonable for him to assume their meeting was about her father helping him transition to the life of a civilian.

"As a matter of fact, I've decided to buy him a pair of season tickets as a retirement gift. I can get them behind home plate," Steve said proudly. "That ought to keep him busy through the summer."

Again, Jeannie nodded and this time gave a slight smile that for once didn't engage her eyes. The look caught Steve off guard as he tried harder to read his friend. After a moment or two of silence, Steve continued, "There's something more, isn't there?"

_Busted, _Jeannie thought to herself. _But this is the reason I came. I need to know. _

Steve's growing curiosity was stemmed by the waiter explaining the menu and the specials of the day. "During the month of December, we'll be featuring traditional French Christmas dishes, including today's special: goose with chestnut stuffing. We also have a wonderful small plate of boeuf bourguignon and for the lighter side, a lunch portion of our braised halibut Provençal topped with shallots, fennel, olive and fresh sage as well as our special l'aiole sauce. The vegetable of the day is haricot verts. Please take time to review the menu," he suggested proficiently."Thank you," Steve responded. "The halibut sounds wonderful," he commented as the waiter walked away. "I wonder what haricot verts are?"

"Green beans," Jeannie said rather matter-of-factly as she looked over the limited menu. "I think I'd like to have the endive and walnut salad with a small bowl of lobster bisque."

Steve raised his eyebrows to the young woman was more worldly than he imagined. She saw his look in the corner of her eye. "I studied French in college, Steve. Really, haricot generally means beans. Vert is green, of course."

He smiled, "Of course."

After the waiter took their order, Steve felt it a good time to probe further. "So, is there more?"

"More what?" Jeannie asked playfully as she felt heat cross her face.

"I don't know. I get the feeling that there's more you want to discuss. If that's the case, I'm all ears," Steve offered genuinely.

Jeannie took a deep breath but decided not to go too quickly into the conversation. "I don't know, Steve. There's so much that's ahead of me right now. It's absolutely daunting."

"But that's a good thing, isn't it?" he encouraged. "I mean, you're about to wrap up your dissertation and take what's been a fantastic career so far to a higher level. Are you worried about that?"

"Over the dissertation? I wouldn't lie to you – I am nervous, but I've also worked long and hard on it. I'll be ready."

"Dr. Jeannie Stone," Steve couldn't hide is pride.

Jeannie gave Steve a grin that finally did engage her eyes. "Thank you, Professor Keller."

"Anytime, my dear," he answered fondly and then studied his companion's face for a moment. "So if it's not the dissertation, then what is it? The job?"

"It's a solid job, Steve, but nothing unique. There are several jobs all along the west coast for consultants to governments. You know, city planners, civil engineers, that kind of thing. Seattle is an exciting area. Did you know that there is a company that is developing what they call personal computers? It will replace typewriters and calculators one day. Every home will have one. As a matter of fact, these personal computers will be as powerful as the one that was used by NASA in the sixties. They figure this will be a huge industry some day and the government is trying to understand how to plan for the labor market."

"Personal computer? What would we use it for?" Steve asked.

"Well, remember those reports you used to type for Mike? Imagine if the report was in a system that let you store it and edit it later," Jeannie beamed.

"Great, if I'd known that I'd never would have left the force," Steve joked. He liked the spark in her eyes that showed she had so much going on in her mind at once. It was different than many of the women he had been dating lately. Unfortunately for him, they were primarily interested in social status and money. They enjoyed Steve for his looks and the prestige of dating Berkeley professor. It suddenly became all rather depressing. Steve quickly shook himself back to the present recalling Jeannie's trifecta. "So if it's not the dissertation nor is it the job, it must be your new beau. What's his name, Greg Hamilton?"

"However did you know?" Jeannie looked surprised.

"Seriously? You're father hasn't stopped talking about him. Let's see: he's a good Catholic boy, a lawyer, from good family stock. There are no prior divorces. There are no priors, for that matter." The last part was added with a chuckle.

"He didn't!" Jeannie protested.

"What? Of course Mike ran a check on him. I'd have done that too if I still had access." Steve laughed at the stunned look of his companion. "You do know that he ran background checks on most of the guys you dated."

"Oh, he did not," she said as she shook her head and blushed. She stopped laughing for a moment. "He did, didn't he?"

Steve broke into a huge grin. "I'll never tell…"

"Well, I'm sure there was nothing on Greg. He's a nice young man."

"You are correct. No arrests – not even a parking ticket. I think your father is in love."

"That would be the day," Jeannie said as she twisted her mouth to one side. "Would you be serious?"

"Okay, I'll be serious if you will. What's wrong with Mr. Hamilton? Does he only look good on paper?"

"No, he's better than that. He's a good man. Any girl would be lucky to have him. He's smart, athletic, wealthy, and he's got a good head on his shoulders. He's very humble, too."

"But it sounds like you're not 'any girl'?" Steve asked curiously as he offered a bread assortment from a basket the waiter placed on the table.

Jeannie declined the offer and responded. "No, I guess I'm not. The fact is that I have developed no real feelings for him despite going out with him these last few months."

"But why? Is it just chemistry?" Steve asked as he grabbed a slice of sourdough.

"Steve, I've come to realize that my heart is simply somewhere else. That's the problem," Jeannie confessed.

"Somewhere else? You mean there's another guy?" He eyed Jeannie suspiciously and noticed the slight blush.

Jeannie was silent for a moment. "Yes, there is someone else," she quietly confessed as she saw a look of disappointment spread across Steve's face.

"You're in love with someone else while you are dating Mr. Perfect? Does he have any idea about this other guy?" While he had never met Greg, suddenly the man was a sympathetic figure in Steve's mind.

"No," Jeannie was still quiet.

"And what about the other guy? Does he know about Greg?"

Jeannie sighed. "The other guy knows about Greg – but the other guy has no idea that I have feelings for him." _Wow, that's a step toward getting this out in the open_, Jeannie thought to herself.

"So why don't you tell him? Maybe he likes you and maybe he doesn't, but you should find out one way or the other. Then you could make up your mind and be truthful with poor Greg. You can't lead him along, Jeannie. It's not right."

"Well, I've never told Greg I love him, despite him trying to get me to say it," Jeannie added defensively. "It's funny, but instead of giving up, he just tries harder. Have you ever done that, Steve? Have you ever tried harder when the girl didn't show her love?"

"Maybe a long time ago, but not anymore. Whether a woman likes it or not, I take them at face value. If she comes off as uninterested, I move on."

"Sounds like there's a story there," Jeannie pried.

"Maybe a long time ago there was," Steve answered mischievously. "But now, I'm just an old jaded professor with no tolerance for games."

Jeannie paused for a moment. She didn't want to play games either, but she also didn't want to jeopardize the solid friendship they had established during the last decade. _Maybe now isn't the time. _She took a deep breath and regrouped quickly. "By the way, Old Jaded Professor, Mike asked me to invite you over for Christmas dinner this year. Dan and his girlfriend Laura will be there. Irene, too."

"That's nice of him. I've been able to travel last couple of years during the holidays, so I've missed the famous Stone family Christmas spread," Steve added.

"So may I tell him 'yes'?" Jeannie asked.

"Should I bring a date? I don't want to be the fifth wheel."

Jeannie tried to hide her disappointment at the question. "It will just be the six of us," Jeannie confirmed. "If there's any pairing, I guess you'll be with me." She studied the expression of her dinner companion's face for a reaction.

"You're not bringing Greg, I take it?" Steve asked.

Jeannie thought carefully. Actually, the plan had been to bring Greg down to San Francisco over Christmas. She had been at his parents' for Thanksgiving, after all. But now that she said aloud what she had been thinking for so long – _there is someone else _– it would be wrong to encourage Greg anymore. No matter what happened with Steve, to lead Greg on would be wrong. "No, Greg is not coming down. It's just going to be me."

"Terrific! Just like old times." Steve raised his drink as a toast.


	2. Chapter 2

After attending early morning Mass with Irene and Mike, Jeannie return home to begin preparing the traditional early afternoon Christmas dinner. She dressed a Virginia ham with apricot glaze and cloves, then began work on a creamy scalloped potato dish her mother used to make. She pulled together a couple of salads as well as a green bean casserole. _Haricot verts,_ she thought to herself as she remembered her lunch with Steve and the fact that he, Dan and Laura would arrive in a few hours.

Baking was Irene's job this year as she created a variety of delicious pies. "So what time do our guests arrive?" she asked Jeannie as she rolled out the dough for another pie crust.

"Two o'clock sharp," Jeannie answered from her spot at the kitchen table where she was snapping a large bowl of green beans. "Dan and Laura are usually quite punctual. I'll call Steve in a little while to remind him of the time."

"Your father already did," Irene advised. "He called him yesterday and made sure he was going to be here today."

"Oh," Jeannie responded. Perhaps that played to her advantage. At least she wouldn't risk saying something silly to Steve when she called. "Works for me," she said with a blasé tone.

As was the case, Dan and Laura arrived at two pm sharp bearing a casserole and a cake. Steve arrived about ten minutes late, but that was on time for him. He greeted Mike with two bottles of Napa Valley wine – one red and one white, and then sought out Irene with a large white poinsettia and Jeannie with a bouquet of flowers.

"That white poinsettia is about the loveliest thing I've ever seen. It's gorgeous!" Irene responded as she took the large green-tinted flowering plant from Steve's hands.

Tucked under his arm was the colorful bouquet, which he was now free to give to Jeannie. She cooed when she saw the mix of roses. The bouquet was mixed with enough greenery making it a lovely holiday arrangement.

After dinner and dessert, the group retired to Mike's living room for coffee. Conversation to that point had been focused on the police department and the cases that Mike and Dan worked – past and present - including a case that Steve had provided detailed criminology statistics to help profile the suspects. They also discussed Mike's pending retirement and what he planned to do after.

Mike grinned ear to ear. "I'm going to do some travelling," he said as he looked at Irene. "Hopefully, I'll have a companion on occasion."

Irene beamed back, "Sure you will, honey. I'm not going to be working much longer at the police department myself."

"You retiring, too, Irene?" Steve asked with a broad smile. He had always liked Mike's on again, off again girlfriend and hoped that his former partner and mentor would finally settle down. It had been more than a dozen years since his wife passed away.

"I can't work there forever, Steve. So yes, I'll be retiring this year as well," she smiled, but then realized that she now had made her intentions public. "Oh, I guess it's official now!"

"Will, congratulations then!" Steve responded. All lifted their coffee mugs in Irene's direction as a toast. "What about you, Daniel? Any big announcements from your world?" It wasn't a completely innocent question. Steve knew that Dan had been dating Laura for quite some time and was thinking of marrying her.

"Well, now that you mention it, Laura and I have been looking for a place to live. My place was great for one, but now that we're together, we need more room," Dan answered.

Steve peeked over to Mike for his reaction, but the older man chose to remain mum. The fact was that he knew Dan was going to propose on New Year's Eve and he dared not let the cat out of the bag.

"So things are going well for you, Dan. I'm so happy to hear that." Irene responded.

"What about you Jeannie? You've got so much going on," Dan asked trying to redirect the questioning from himself and Laura. He had heard Mike speak endlessly about how well his daughter was doing in Seattle. "You'll be getting your doctorate soon and then the world will be yours."

"Actually, if all works out, I'll be getting my doctorate this spring. But after that, I may well be back in San Francisco."

Mike's eyes lit up at the prospect. "You never told me that, Sweetheart? That's exciting. What changed?"

"There are opportunities here. As a matter of fact, I'm up for a planning job downtown and will be interviewing while I'm down here." All were happy at Jeannie's news as they missed the young woman very much. She cast a quick gaze to Steve, who was smiling as well.

"So it's over with you and Greg, huh?" Irene asked sympathetically.

"Yes, I'm afraid so. He's a great guy, but we just didn't have any chemistry," Jeannie responded.

"What about the other guy?" Steve asked before he realized what he had done. Jeannie gave him a dirty look.

"What other guy?" Mike asked.

"She…oh, nevermind. You know, I'm confusing the situation with something else." Steve turned a shade of red which made everyone realize that Steve was not confusing the situation within anything. He looked again at Jeannie who squinted his way, leaving Steve feel very threatened.

"What about you, Steve?" Dan asked, trying to get his friend off the hook. "Any big news from Berkeley?"

"Well, as a matter of fact, yes. You know, Berkeley is only part of the University of California system. There are nine other colleges across the state and not every location has a criminology department."

"So what does that mean?"

"It means that I've been asked to head up one of the new criminology departments they are implementing at one of the other locations."

Jeannie was shocked at the news and remained speechless. Dan asked a question that she was thinking. "Where? Are you moving?"

"Well, yes, at least for a while. I'm being asked to head up the new department in Santa Barbara."

_Santa Barbara?_ Jeannie thought to herself. _Did I just hear that? He's moving to Santa Barbara. He had no idea about my feelings because he clearly had no real feelings for me. I'm like a kid sister to him – nothing more._

Jeannie could hear words buzzing around her. Steve was talking about what it was going to take to start up a new criminology department. Dan wanted to know if they would partner with local law enforcement from the start in order to connect with the community. Mike said he was happy to hear of the promotion – and that he must have been the youngest department head of all time. Or something like that. Jeannie found it impossible to comprehend the conversation. Her only real thought was about Steve and his move hours south of San Francisco.

Irene noticed the distressed look that Jeannie was trying to conceal. If she could, she would walk over to Professor Keller and box his ears in no time flat. Laura hung on to Dan's every word. _He's lucky, _Jeannie thought. _She's lucky. Laura is clearly in love with her man and he is clearly in love with her. Unlike…. _Jeannie stopped thinking for a moment and looked at the man sitting next to her. He was a few years older than she, an occasional klutz and an overall train wreck with women. _Whatever did I see in him?_ She tried hard to downplay his meaning to her life in order to save face. Her greatest fear was that she'd break apart in front of everyone. That would change everything and not for the better.

Steve looked over mid-sentence to Jeannie and smiled. The look she returned was hollow and fierce. He quickly turned his attention back to Mike and Dan who continued to chat and had no knowledge of the secondary exchanges between Steve, Jeannie and Irene.

Wondering how she could excuse herself to regroup, she looked no further than her own coffee cup. "I'm going to make a new pot of coffee," Jeannie announced rather severely. The tone caught everyone off-guard. By now, Steve realized he was in trouble. He looked to the others in the room to see if they knew what was going on. His inquiring eyes stopped with Irene. Her expression was one of sheer anger.

_What?_ he mouthed to the older woman. She responded with squinted eyes that could have torn a hole straight through him. _What?_ he mouthed again. This time she pursed her lips and quickly tilted her head to the kitchen where Jeannie worked.

_Okay, Irene is perceptive; it's why she's such a good cop. I know I spilled the beans with Jeannie's secret. I should apologize_, Steve thought to himself. He sat there for a moment convincing himself that the right thing to do was to go into the kitchen and make amends.

"I'm going to help Jeannie with that coffee," Steve stated almost mechanically. He got up and walked into the kitchen as Irene's glare followed him.

Jeannie busied herself with putting up leftovers and cleaning the kitchen as the coffee brewed. Steve tentatively opened the swinging door and quietly slipped in. She knew he was there, but chose to ignore him. An uncomfortable moment passed as he finally spoke, "Thought I'd come in here to help you," he said. "The four of them began 'couples' talk and I felt like I was a fifth wheel."

"Yes, well, you've come to the right place if you don't want to have 'couples' talk," Jeannie replied sarcastically as she busied herself at the kitchen sink with her back to Steve.

Steve took a deep breath. _What did I do now? _he thought as he looked around trying to find something to break the ice again.

"I can help you put the food away," as he walked over to the counter and picked up a dish of leftovers. "Hey, those green beans were really good. I liked that you added pimentos to them. It made them look very festive – green and red. Haricot verts et rouge perhaps?" His attempt at humor was not at all welcome and the reference to their lunch was again the wrong thing to say.

"Steve, just go," Jeannie ordered.

"Jeannie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that about the other guy. I didn't understand that the others didn't know there was someone else," he apologized still holding the green beans.

Jeannie tried to grab the bowl away from Steve and place it on the counter. The move took Steve by surprise as he swung around to place the bowl in the refrigerator. The result was a short lived tug of war with green beans and pimentos flying everywhere scattering the contents all over the white tile floor. "Aw geez, Jeannie, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were going to take the bowl..." Steve apologized again as he saw the mess on the floor.

Jeannie turned around quickly to face the kitchen sink as the frustration and heartbreak was too much to overcome. As tears began to fall, the last thing she wanted was for him to see her this way. Steve began to speak, "Look, Babe, I'm sorry I mentioned the 'other guy'. I've clearly upset you and I can't be sorrier." He turned away from the mess on the floor and placed his hand on her shoulder. He felt her trembling and knew she was in tears. "Jeannie, please…forgive me," he whispered as he spun her around and wrapped his arms around her.

Despite her better judgment, she returned the embrace. They stood quietly together as she felt his warmth and support surround her. As the moments passed, it gave her strength: now was the time. "It's you," she whispered.

"What?" he asked, not certain what he had just heard.

"I don't want to say again, Steve. It's you. You're the other guy," she whispered again with her head still on his shoulder.

Several moments passed without Steve or Jeannie saying a word. Jeannie had a strange sense of relief, but was also fearful of what could come next. "Jeannie, I don't know what to say. I didn't know," Steve began.

"We've known each other for so long, but I've always had these feelings. I just couldn't start the next phase of my life without knowing where I stood with you. I always hoped that you felt something for me."

"Felt something for you? How could I not after all these years?" he said as he gave her a kiss on the top of the head. He chuckled, "You were jailbait when we first met, though – completely off limits."

"And 'no cops'. That was dad's imposed dating rule after I turned eighteen. But I'm not eighteen anymore. I'm nearly twenty eight," Jeannie said.

"But of all the guys in the world, you fall for me? Jeannie, I'm just a beaten academic who can be a disaster with women. You can do better."

"Stop that, Steve. This is hard enough without you trying to unsell yourself to me," Jeannie protested. It quickly occured to her that he was trying to wriggle out of the moment. She half-anticipated him saying, 'it's not you, it's me'. She would preempt that. "Steve, it's okay. Just let me go on my way. We don't have to talk further. I've tortured myself for years over this and at least, now I know," she reasoned as she tried to pull away.

"No…" he continued to cling to the young woman. "I mean it, Jeannie. You should have someone your age without the battle scars."

"My age? You make yourself out to be an old man, but your not," she questioned.

"Jeannie, I am older. I'm thirty-five. And I'm an old thirty-five after what I've been through. It just wouldn't be fair to you."

_Is he putting me off to protect me or is he really this insecure? Insecure - Steve Keller. No, those words were never said in the same sentence before,_ she thought to herself. After concluding that this was a ploy to protect her and let her down gently, she struggled to hide her disaapointment. Feeling his grip, Jeannie said nothing but pulled back to look him square in the face so she could find the truth in his eyes.

He studied her blue eyes and saw nothing but hurt, fear and the love that she held deeply. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to make her world complete. He pulled her even closer and kissed her lips gently. The warmth from that kiss was something that she would never forget. "Are you sure?" he whispered.

She was shocked by his question. After all, she was the one who had a schoolgirl crush on him for years. While it turned to love as she matured, she tried her hardest to hide her true feelings. "I'm sure," she repeated.

"Then I'm the luckiest man in the world," he said as he kissed her again. Their second kiss was longer and more passionate.

Jeannie enjoyed the lingering kiss. Thoughts swirled around her head, but then she stopped abruptly. "What about Santa Barbara? If you're moving on anyway, what does that mean for us?"

Steve thought for a moment. He would explore his options, but if his future could include Miss Jeannie Stone, he'd take whichever path led to her. "You've got to finish your doctorate in Seattle. I'll come up for visits when you aren't studying or working and we'll figure it all out. Don't worry," he added as he stroked her hair and began kissing her again.

Irene and Mike's curiosity got the best of them when things became too quiet. Excusing themselves from Dan and Laura, they made their way to the kitchen, both pressing open the swinging door to see what was happening. Before them stood the couple locked in a solid embrace, kissing and oblivious to all.

Mike studied the pair for a moment and then noticed the green beans scattered on the floor. "I don't know what happened with the beans, but all I can say is it's about time."

Irene nudged her agreement by poking Mike in the side. She knew this was the pairing for which Mike had secretly hoped. "Merry Christmas, Mike."

Mike beamed, "It is, indeed, Irene! Merry Christmas!"

The end


End file.
